I decided to make this recipe amidst packing my things (including all, and I mean all, of my kitchen appliance), because I got the “Oh you should tooootally make these” from my roommate. Three involved layers and pureed fruit and swirling; they’re kind of a lot of work. But if there’s any possible way to improve chewy, chocolaty, homemade brownies, it’s topping them with cream cheese and fresh fruit, right? Right.

Brownies:
3/4 c. bittersweet chocolate chips
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt
3. tbs cocoa powder
3/4 c. flour

Raspberry Topping:
1 1/2 c. raspberries
3 tbs. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mash raspberries with sugar until smooth then set aside. Using an electric mixer, whip together all ingredients from cream cheese topping (take the cream cheese out of the fridge for a while and it will make this a lot easier). Set this aside as well, and start heating a medium sauce pan on the stove. On low, melt chocolate and butter together until smooth. Make sure you stir continuously, as you don’t want the chocolate to burn. Add mixture to remaining dry ingredients, add eggs, then whisk until smooth.

Butter a 9×9 baking dish, then pour in brownie batter (it should be very thick). Next, add cream cheese mixture and spread lightly with spatula until the brownie batter is completely covered. Lastly, make lines across the dish with raspberry puree (see above), then use a toothpick or knife to make a swirl design. Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes, until a knife comes clean from center. Cool in fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.

Note for making the best cheese cake brownies: Woweeeee. These were great, but very difficult to cook properly… Originally I had the oven set on 375, but they cooked quickly on the outside and not so much in the center (the whole dish is THICK). I also really don’t like the whole you have to wait for hours before even trying these thing. I will say they are sooo much better cold, but I’m just impatient. Other than all those awful things, they’re really delicious! MAKE THEM!

I’M WRITING TO YOU FROM OUTER SPACE! Well, not quite… but I am the absolute closest I will ever get to outer space (if you haven’t figured it out, I’m on a plane, which is currently over the carolinas somewhere). If you didn’t know it already: I’m relocating back to New Hampshire. At this point I’m not sure why, but for now I’ll just say I missed it and that I’m back to do very awesome things. ANWYAY: I got this idea from Mr. Paul Desrochers, a talented culinary student who has an AMAZING passion for all things food. They were just too cute and practical, I could not resist.

Crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. shortening
1/4 c. water
Pinch of salt

Crumble:
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
6 tbs. butter, cold and cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fork all ingredients for crust together, then press into buttered muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. In the meantime, take apples and mix with spices in a small bowl. Spoon into muffin tins with crust. Fork together all ingredients for crumble, then top each tin off. Bake for another 15 minutes, until the tops are bubbly and golden brown!

Note for making awesome mini-pies: I seriously cannot believe I took my muffin tin out this soon (I’m still recovering from March). These would be SO COOL for a party! Truthfully they’d be cool anytime, but especially cool at a party because you don’t have to deal with the hassle of cutting a whole pie. You could honestly do any variation of pies this way; blueberry, strawberry-rhubarb, etc. GOTTA GO, THEY’RE TRYING TO LAND THIS THING. Lets hope this goes smoothly… And hey, if you’re in New England somewhere: Lets hang out!

I loved blondies growing up as a kid. Believe it or not, I’ve never been a huge fan of heavy chocolate things… Chocolate cake needs vanilla buttercream, chocolate ice cream is kinda gross, and brownies definitely don’t require the excessive chocolate chunks. I got this idea after deciding that making a brownie into a cookie would be kinda cool.. and why not make a blondie cookie!? HOORAY!

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 c. white chocolate, roughly chopped
1 c. macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On high, beat butter, salt, eggs and sugars with electric mixer until fluffy. Add flour and baking soda in batches, stirring until well combined (you might want to switch to a wooden spoon or spatula so the flour doesn’t get over worked. Lastly, stir in extracts, chocolate and macadamia nuts. Place tablespoon sized dollops of dough on lined cookie sheets, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Note for making the best blondie cookies: Holy moly! These cookies knocked my socks off. Obviously the chocolate and macadamia nuts helped (I don’t include them enough in my recipes). It’s imperative that you use real butter! It’s what makes them chewy and delicious. You could really put anything in this batter and it would be awesome. YUM.

Pizza is GREAT. I’ve never met a single person in my life who didn’t like it… and BY GOLLY if I ever do I’m sure I’ll hate them (sorry in advance). Although take-out is always the best, I think we can all agree a homemade pizza is nice once in a while. I usually make a typical/simple pizza (lots of cheese and sauce) for at-home ventures, but this time I decided to go a different route…

Crust:
2 1/2-3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 package active yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 c. lukewarm water
Pinch of salt
Olive oil

Toppings (enough for 1 crust):
1/4 c. katamala olives, chopped
1/4 small red onion, cut into thin strips
1/4 c. spinach, chopped (frozen is fine)
1/2-3/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled
Olive oil for drizzling

In a large bowl, let yeast soak in lukewarm water for 5 minutes. Add half of flour, then stir with spoon until it starts to combine. Add another 3/4 c. then knead in bowl until shaggy. Transfer to floured surface and knead until a smooth ball, about 10 minutes. Place dough in well oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for about an hour, until it doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the dough into two pieces. Roll each piece out until it’s about 1/4″ thick (you can just do this with your fingertips if you wanted). Bake for 15 minutes, just until the edges are turning golden. Add your toppings, then put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until the toppings are cooked to your liking.

Note for making the perfect pizza: Technically there are two recipes here (1) a pizza crust recipe 2) a mediterranean pizza recipe) but that’d be lame of me to do… IT’S SOOOO IMPORTANT to pre-bake your crust, especially if you like it crispy! It allows the crust to dry out a bit, giving it a good crunch. As for the toppings, I really like a sauce-less pizza… Feta is delicious! Next time I’m putting fried eggplant on this. HECK YES PIZZA!

My days are dwindling here on Amelia Island and I decided it was time for another pie. Well, not just any pie, a coconut cream pie with almonds and chocolate and whipped cream and more coconut. The idea came from a candy-bar that shall remain nameless (I don’t want to be dealing with lawsuits once A Baker’s Doesn’t takes over the world), but I’m sure you can figure it out for yourselves..

Filling:
3 c. half and half
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 c. toasted coconut flakes (I just bought a normal package and it was plenty for both the filling and toppings)

Pie Shell:
7 Full-sized graham crackers, crushed
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbs. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl mix together all ingredients for pie shell until well combined. Transfer mixture to a pie pan then press into the dish. Bake in the oven until the edges are golden brown, then let cool for at least an hour.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, combine half and half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt then bring to a slow boil. The mixture will rapidly start to thicken, so you should be whisking it the whole time. Once it’s about the consistency of a thick pudding, remove from heat and fold in one cup of toasted coconut. Pour into pie shell and let cool in the refrigerator over night. When serving, add whipped cream (cream, sugar and vanilla, whisked until thick), almonds, chocolate and more coconut.

Note for making the perfect coconut pie: I brought a slice into work and the first thing I heard from the two people who ate it was “How much do you want for one?” I WAS SO EXCITED. I still am. You could by-pass the hassle of making your own crust and just buy one, but it’s so much better with real butter. I know that on-the-stove dessert recipes are intimidating (they still scare me) but I promise this was VERY EASY. Just make sure you continuously whisk the cream so it doesn’t clump/burn on the bottom of the pan. I love cold pies and this is perfect for spring!

I’m excited to be posting a non-muffin recipe… but even more excited that it’s an awesome sandwich. I always think vegetarian sandwich recipes are far and few between but I know I’m wrong; the possibilities really are endless. Here is a classic..

(I’m not posting exact numbers because you can build your sandwich however you please)

2 Slices of fresh wheat bread
Sliced cucumber
Smushed avocado
Alfalfa sprouts
Sliced red onion
Sliced tomato
Goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

On one slice of bread smush avocado until completely covered. Liberally salt and pepper the avocado, then add goat cheese to the other slice of bread. Build up the remaining ingredients, then finish with placing the avocado covered piece of bread on top. Slice in half then enjoy!

Note for making a super sammich:If you’ve never had goat cheese, then you are MISSING OUT. Get some and put it on everything you eat (and I mean EVERYTHING). Also, avocado on anything automatically makes it delicious… I’d highly recommend thinly slicing your onion because they’re pretty strong (I was knocking people out for a couple hours). Some may argue that this sandwich is expensive, BUT I bought everything for under $10 and I have enough for 4 sandwiches… so to you I say HA! Heck yes to being back to normal recipes.

My roommate is a total grandma when it comes to gingerbread. Planning for this month, I got the “Ohhh hmmm.. I mean, you could TOTALLY make gingerbread muffins. Those would probably be good,” from her (basically I was guilted into this). I know it’s almost summer, and it’s been really nice out everywhere and everything… and gingerbread doesn’t really SCREAM spring, but that’s what the lemon glaze is for.

Muffins:
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tbs. fresh grated ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/3 c. molasses
3/4 c. very cold water

Glaze:
Juice and zest from 1/2 of a lemon
1 tbs. honey
1 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together all ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients for muffins until well combined. Spoon into lined muffin tins, then let bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.

Let cool for 30 minutes, then dip tops of muffins into lemon glaze. If you want, you can let each dry for a few minutes then dip again to create a crust.

Note for making great gingerbread muffins: When I first saw this recipe, my immediate thought was EWH: lemon could not possibly go well with ginger bread. But of course I was proven wrong again and these were delicious. I might try an orange glaze next time… ONE RECIPE LEFT. I REALLY DID IT, GUYS.

I’m finishing up MUFFIN MARCH MADNESS within the next few days and what better way to use all the left-over berries I have in an awesome vegan recipe (I have yet to post a cruelty-free muffin)! I like cooking vegan because not only does it cut back on fat, it usually saves me some money not having to use/buy eggs and butter… When you go though about 4 sticks of butter every few weeks, I cut back whenever I can.

1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. soy milk
3 tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 c. pumpkin seeds for sprinkling
1 c. berries (I used a mixture of raspberries, blueberries and dried cranberries)

Yields 6 medium muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, soy milk, oil and vinegar then slowly add to flour mixture. Once combined, fold in berries until well distributed. Spoon into lined muffin tins, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown!

Note for making the best berry muffins: Berry muffins are the best when there are more berries than actual muffins! You’d never know these were vegan which makes them extra awesome… The pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein for all of us non-meat eaters, too! A couple of these and you’d be set for a few hours of errands around town. YUM.

I have 2 huge bunches of ripe bananas sitting in my freezer, and naturally when muffin march came along I knew I’d have to use them at some point! I was looking for a banana muffin recipe that too similar to it’s cousin, the banana bread. HERE YOU GO!

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 packed brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. milk
1 large egg
1 c. pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, stir flour, salt, nutmeg and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mash bananas with brown sugar, butter milk and eggs. Add to flour mixture, then stir until well combined. Lastly fold in pecans then spoon into lined muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown!

Note for making the best banana muffins: These were pretty delicious! I love banana things in the morning. I hate using the word, but boy these muffins were MOIST. Thank you, ripe bananas. The pecans were fantastic and will always go with my banana bread/muffins from now on!

IT’S SPRING! Today was my day off and a beautiful day it was. 76/sunny/not a cloud in sight! Basically there couldn’t have been a more perfect day to make citrus muffins. Although I was tempted to leap my neighbors fence and steal fresh fruits off their tree, I picked up an orange and lemon at the grocery store and had my way with them…

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of Salt
1 egg
1/4 c. sugar
4 tbs. butter, melted
1/4 c. cream (or any milk product you have around)
Zest from 1 lemon
Zest and juice from 1 orange

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, roughly stir together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Mix together sugar, butter, cream, zests and juice in a separate bowl until loosely combined then add to flour mixture. Spoon in to lined muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes or until muffins start to turn golden brown. Yields about 6 medium muffins.

Note for making superb citrus muffins: These have a fantastic crust on the outside (thank you, sugar) with a soft, orangey center! Although citrus has never been my favorite flavor, I think these are a perfect addition to any breakfast menu. Throw some cranberries in there and you’ve got a great start to your day…